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A potentially dangerous situation was narrowly avoided Friday night when a Phoenix air traffic controller noticed that two American Airlines jets were operating under the same flight number simultaneously. Thanks to the controller’s quick thinking, confusion was prevented and the planes kept a safe distance from each other.
Audio recordings from just after midnight reveal how the controller managed the unusual scenario involving both planes identified as American 2482-one arriving from Chicago and the other departing Phoenix shortly before. To prevent any mix-up, he distinctly referred to each as either “American 2482 on the arrival” or “American 2482 on the departure,” ensuring clear communication with both flight crews.
The controller maintained vertical separation by keeping the arriving aircraft above the departing one as their paths converged. He also instructed the departing plane to limit its climb, creating a safe gap between the two jets.
Both pilots spotted each other well in advance, and after passing safely, the arriving pilot praised the controller for his “nice work.” The controller acknowledged the gravity of the situation, noting he had never seen two planes nearly merging under the same call sign in his 25 years on the job.
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo suggested the overlap likely resulted from a lapse at the airline’s dispatch center, where the same flight number was assigned to two aircraft flying at the same time. Flight 2482 is a regular round-trip route between Chicago and Phoenix, usually operated by one plane shuttling back and forth. However, a weather delay on the Chicago leg led American Airlines to deploy a second aircraft from Phoenix to keep the schedule, inadvertently causing both planes to be airborne under the identical flight number.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and American Airlines have launched investigations into the incident. In a statement, American Airlines highlighted the professionalism of their pilots and air traffic controllers in maintaining proper separation and handling the unusual circumstance without incident. The FAA also expressed relief that safety was preserved throughout the event.